Reviews of “The Return”

"...Half prose, half poetry, The Return is a finely crafted autobiographical account of the author’s voyage back to his place of birth...The Return is replete with thought-provoking observations about the human condition, from the dynamics and cyclical nature of power in Haiti to the preoccupation with hunger and finding one's next meal. Laferriere's writing is poetic, profound and beautiful...A single reading of this novel will yield its beauty and thoughtfulness, but to fully appreciate it warrants a second reading. For anyone who has lost a parent, this is a must-read."

"Someone once told me there are only two real stories: someone leaves home, and a stranger comes to town. This tale considers both of these real stories and offers insights into the father-son relationship and the question of home and exile. Laferriere’s keen eye and bared heart stayed with me long after I finished his beautiful elegy."

"Laferriere's book is a purposeful contemplation on the concept of exile and father/son relations, and of course the search for identity...What makes The Return so captivating is the use of language when he describes Montreal and Haiti, the differences and the similarities. His feelings of alienation for each geography changes with what he sees. How could it not?"

"[Laferriere's] prose has always had the ability to wrap itself around the reader's organs and take hold, slowly at first, before becoming a part of the body. This novel is no different, digging deep through a minefield of emotional and physical detail with compassionate honesty...a stunning and breathtaking book, and is easily one of his best."

"The Return is, as its French title explicitly states, enigmatic, a powerful, wrenching book that is not easily explained or understood...The Return is, as [Chantal Guy] concludes, 'a book to savour … that demands more than one reading.'"

“The Return is like a whole life that suddenly explodes as a Big Bang, liberating the past and the present, dreams and reality, North and South, hot and cold, life and death, exile and return, those who stay and those who go, themes that are found throughout Dany Laferrière’s writing but that have never been as well put together, maybe because they were missing this angle of father and son, which casts everything in a new light. It is a book to savor, a long poem that demands more than one reading.”

“The force of The Return flows from the universality of its message. Laferrière gives his creativity and fecund ambition free rein. The result is a sublime novel that pulses to the hypnotic rhythm of his words and the depth of his journey. It is a novel that speaks to the human condition.”